Emily was being treated for an infection at Phoenix Children's Hospital and had already had her arm amputated. Source: Supplied

AUTHORITIES in the US are searching for an 11-year-old leukaemia patient who left hospital with her family before she was officially discharged.

Identified only as Emily, the young girl had been battling an infection at Phoenix Children's Hospital and still has a catheter in her heart. She had been receiving treatment for leukaemia at the hospital for around a month and had already had an arm amputated.

Local police said the young girl remains ill and her condition could take a turn for the worse if she's not treated soon.

"If she does not have this catheter sealed correctly by medical staff, we understand it's highly likely she could obtain an infection and ultimately die within a couple of days," Sergeant Steve Martos told AzFAmily.com.

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"This is an 11-year-old girl who is already being treated for leukemia, had to go through an arm amputation, now taken from the hospital prematurely," said Sgt. Martos.

"That in and of itself could result in her death. I think she's probably suffered enough."

Emily's mother Norma wheeled her IV drip into a toilet before the girl re-appeared in regular clothes and then left the building with her family.Source: Supplied

CCTV vision shows the young girl leaving the hospital with her mother Norma and a young boy at 10.30pm last Wednesday. Her mother initially walks out of the room with Emily wheeling an attached IV drip. The IV drip which is attached to the catheter is then removed and the girl changes into regular clothes before leaving the building with her family.

While the hospital insist Emily was due to be released from their care the following morning, it is unclear why she left early with her family.

CCTV footage shows the family leaving the car park in a 1998 Ford Mini-Van.

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